Mining Education in Great Britain (continued)

At present in Great Britain there are a number of universities and colleges which give instruction in mechanical engineering, mining, metallurgy, etc. These institutions provide full-time and part-time education. It should be noted that technical colleges confer diplomas' on college graduates.

A university graduate leaves with the degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science, which is an academic qualification awarded by universities.

For example, the University in Cardiff has become one of the largest in Wales. It is one of the four colleges which together with the Welsh National School of Medicine form the University of Wales. There is the Mining Engineering Department in the University of Wales. The Department deals with the whole range of extractive industries such as coal and metalliferous mining, quarrying and oil technology.

After graduating from the college a student can be recommended for entry to the university by a college authority and he can apply for admission to the university.

At the Mining Department students may take several courses such as geology, mining engineering, mine surveying, quarrying, management studies and others. It has become a tradition that the courses are based on an intensive tutorial system. It means that students are allotted to members of the teaching staff for individual tuition separately in mining, in quarrying and in mine surveying. The system is founded on that of the older universities of Great Britain.

At the Department of Mining Engineering of the Newcastle University mining has now become a technically advanced profession. The Department of Mining Engineering trains industrially experienced engineers through various advanced courses in rock mechanics and surface excavation. For many years the Mining Engineering Department at Newcastle has recognized the need for highly-qualified engineers and realized that the courses in rock mechanics and surface excavation are of great importance for mining engineers.

At the University a student studies for three or four years. The organization of the academic year is based on a three-term system which usually runs from about the beginning of October to the middle of December, from the middle of January to the end of March and from the middle of April to the end of June or the beginning of July.

Students course is designed on a modular basis. Modules are self-contained 'units' of study, which are taught and assessed independently of each other. When a student passes a module, he (she) gains a credit. All modules carry a number of credits. At the end of the term, the number of credits a student gets, determines the award he (she) receives. Each module is continuously assessed by coursework and/or end-of-term examinations.

Admission to the British universities is by examination and selection. The minimum age for admission to the four-year course is normally 18 years. Departments usually interview all the candidates. The aim of the interview is to select better candidates.

Just over half of all university students live in colleges, halls of residence, or other accommodation provided by their university, another third lives in lodgings or privately rented accommodation; and the rest live at home.

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1. At present there are about a hundred technical institutions in Great Britain.

2. It should be noted that British colleges confer degrees.

3. As a rule a college authority recommends the graduates for entry to the university.

4. At the Mining Engineering Department of the University of Wales the students study only metalliferous mining.

5. At the Mining Engineering Department the courses are based on an intensive tutorial system.

6. The Mining Engineering Department at the Newcastle University has recognized the importance of teaching rock mechanics and surface excavation (open-cast mining).

2. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. Are there many technical institutions in Great Britain?

2. What is the difference between colleges and universities?

3. Is the Mining Engineering Department the only one in the University of Wales?

4. Does the Mining Engineering Department deal only with metalliferous mining?

5. Can a student enter the university after he has graduated from the college?

6. What courses are of special importance for mining engineers?

7. What do you know about the organization of the academic year at British universities?

8. When do the students take their examinations?